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The road eastward from Dubai leads through
low dunes and dusty roadside plains. The
large oasis of Al Aweer exists by the
grace of much underground water, which
gives life to an extensive forest of ghaf
trees (Prosopis cineraria) that must have
existed in this location for many hundreds
of years. This is where many farms have
been developed. Not all of these farms
grow fruit and vegetables. The one that is
the goal of this day’s outing is a farm
where horses are bred – the very special
horses of Arabia.
The
sunlight is filtered through many layers
of branches drooping down from the huge
ghaf trees along the driveway. Even in the
heat of summer, the air seems fresh and
the breeze cool. A soft thudding noise is
heard towards the left, where an elegant
brown horse canters around a dirt track
that borders a lush green oval. Ahead an
expanse of meadow fringed with large
oleander bushes reminds you of more
temperate climates. It is hard to believe
we are in the middle of the sandy dunes
near Al Aweer.
The place we are visiting is the
horse-breeding farm of Khalid bin Khalifa
Juma Al Nabooda, who keeps horses and
breeds them for the sheer pleasure of it.
With 156 horses in his care, he must be a
very pleased and lucky man. From the look
of it, the horses are very pleased too.
Their coats shimmer with a healthy gloss,
their eyes are tranquil and lively at the
same time, their behaviour is exemplary.
It is as if they know that this is a place
where they are safe, where people care and
horses are the centre of attention.
Mr. Al Nabooda calls it his hobby –
breeding and promoting the local bred
Arabian horse, which had been lost to the
Arab world for some time. Not that Arabian
horses need a lot of promoting. Known
throughout the world for their
intelligence, speed and endurance, these
horses are to Arabia what tulips are to
Holland.
What
is the difference between an Arabian horse
and thoroughbreds? The
farm’s resident vet Dr. Thejasvi,
explains:
Thoroughbreds have many bloodlines,
including some Arabian. But all pure
Arabian horses can be traced back to three
stallions: The Byerley Turk, the Darley
Arabian and the Godolphin Barb. The horses
at Al Aweer are mainly from stock of the
latter.
Arabian horses are quite different from
the more numerous thoroughbreds. Their
anatomy differs in that they have one rib
less and one less vertebra in the tail.
Their heads are quite small and finely
chiselled, while their short back and
muscular hindquarters are also a unique
feature of the Arabian horse.
They are very hardy, excelling for
instance in the endurance races that have
become so popular of late. The
horses at Al Aweer are bred by artificial
insemination with frozen or chilled semen
imported from the UK and the USA. The
procedure is carried out in a special
building on the premises by the resident
vet. The success rate of this artificial
way of propagation is very good here –
some 70%. This year 27 foals were born,
with the usual balance between males and
females of fifty/fifty. Although Al Aweer
farm was started in 1991, the breeding of
Arabian horses did not commence till 1995.
The farm keeps four stallions of its own
that cover some of their own mares and are
also lent out to stud mares from other
farms in the region. One of these, a
famous Derby winner called Naum is an
eleven-year-old Bay, who is from one of
the most famous Russian bloodlines for
racing.
We
walk slowly through the impeccable yards,
with over 60 boxes. Small groups of guinea
fowl and ducks potter around between the
boxes, from each of which a horse looks
out curiously.
All horses are fed from imported pellets
containing wheat bran, oats and barley.
They obviously thrive on this. One row of
boxes holds the geriatric horses such as
one dappled white female, called
Hibattallah, is 27 years old, and Fantasia
who is 30 years old! What a wonderful
thing that they can spend the last years
of their life here in comfort and ease!
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The
farm has 112 air-conditioned stables. One
large high-domed building, cooled by huge
AC’s and ceiling fans, has box after box
with mares and foals. The foals take their
cue from their mothers and are curious and
only a little bit shy towards the visiting
strangers. Their velvety noses push
against our hands, while they sniff our
scent with their huge nostrils. They will
start being trained when they are two
years old. Until that time they will
exercise together on the tracks, learning
to run in a group. Most of them will go
for racing on the flats. Some will be
endurance racers. So far no Arabian horses
have been used for jumping or showing. The
horses have unusual names, given to them
by their owner: Fawzia du Roc and her foal
Af Muntaha, Vilissa, Saralouve and the
magnificent Al Hanouf.
All
horses are regularly exercised in a
horse-walker. This looks a bit like a
merry-go-round. Inside a circular fence
stands a large wheel that is being driven
by a motor at a constant speed. Between
the spokes of the wheel there is room for
just one horse. Nudged by the spoke at
their backs, the horses walk at a sedate
speed within their section for 45 minutes
every day. Each horse over two years old,
except the pregnant mares, also goes for a
swim in the custom built covered swimming
pool that shimmers between the palm trees.
The pool is 75 meters long and is a
wonderful tool to build up muscle and to
treat leg injuries. Besides the regular
swims in the pool, all horses are hosed
down daily in a special bathing stall. No
wonder they all have such glossy coats! In
the summer it is also a great way to cool
down.
There
are nine large grass paddocks, where mares
and foals can spend the cooler months.
All
the paddocks and tracks are fenced with
echo-wood, a recycled plastic material
that is very durable and at the same time
soft to prevent injuries in case of
accidental collision.
Dr.
Thejasvi provides veterinary care in minor
cases, while major surgery is done at the
Dubai Equine Hospital.
The
horses and their caretakers (a few dozen
grooms, riders and farriers) live a
peaceful life together going through their
daily routine in an oasis of green trees
and pastures. For some of the horses a day
may come in the future when they thunder
past the grandstand at Nadd al Sheba,
towards the winning post, spurred on by
the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators.
These purebred Arabian horses will win
gold cups and cash prizes, fame and
fortune, until they can retire once more
to the place of their youth, to spend
their last days in the dappled light
beneath the ghaf trees. Maybe…
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